Onychectomy
/ˌɒnɪˈkɛktəmi/noun
Surgical removal of a nail or claw, especially the procedure commonly called declawing in cats.
Did you know?In feline declawing, the operation generally removes the terminal bone of each affected toe, making “claw removal” anatomically more extensive than the name suggests.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃nogʰ-
“A reconstructed root associated with the fingernail or claw.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄνυξ (ónyx)
“Fingernail, claw, or talon; the source of the combining form onych-.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐκτομή (ektomḗ)
“Cutting out or excision, formed from ek-, “out,” and tomē, “a cutting.””
Late Classical Greek
Greek
ὄνυχεκτομή (onychektomḗ)
“A compound meaning excision or cutting out of a nail or claw.”
Modern medical English
English
onychectomy
“A surgical term for removal of a nail or claw; in veterinary usage, especially declawing.”